Latch



R. MARPLE Jan. 29, 1946. 'Y

LATCHr Filed Aug. s, 19:59

3 Sheets-Sheet l Jan. 29, 1946.

R. MARPLE LATCH Fild Aug. 3, 1939 3 Sheets-Sheet r2 R. MARPLE Jan. 29, 1946.

LATCH Filed Aug. `s', 1959 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 INVENTo/e i E .N m f r 0,. M F M Patented Jan. 29, 1946 LATCH Rollo Marple, Jackson, Mich., assigner toHancock Manufacturing Company, Jackson, Mich., a corporationof Michigan Application August 3, 1939, Serial No. 288,089

2 Claims.

The present invention relates to latching devices and in particular is directed to improvements in the construction of latches especially designed for automobile hoods.

The principal objects of the present invention are to provide latch'constructions of the above generally indicated type, arranged to hold an associated hood in either a fully` closed or a safety position; to provide such a construction wherein a pivoted bolt is provided, carried by the hood. or by the associated body portion, and which is arranged to'releasably cooperate with a keeper or equivalent member carried by the body portion or bythe hood; to provide such construction employing bolt and keeper elements, one thereof being formed as part of and carriedby a guide member which serves to preliminarily position and guide the hood toward its closed position; to provide such a construction` employing spring mechanism which serves tov yieldingly bias the hood toward the safety position as soon as the bolt isreleased; to provide such construction employing a bolt of the rotary type, having means cooperating therewithto yieldingly urge it in a hood closing direction and ,to positively prevent movement thereof in a hood opening direction; to provide such constructions adapted for control either from the region of the hood latch or by remote control mechanism located, for example, in the driving compartment of the vehicle; and to provide hood latch constructions which are economical of manufacture and assembly, and which are reliable and efficient in operation.

With the above as well as other and more detailed objects in view, which appear in the following description and in the appended claims, preferred but illustrative embodiments of the invention are shown in theaccomp'anying drawings, throughout the several views of which correspending reference characters are used to designate corresponding parts and inV which:

Figure l is a view in side elevation of an illustrative embodiment of the invention;

Fig, 2 is a view in side elevation of the hood latch structure employed in Fig. l;

Fig. 3 is a view in transverse section, tak along the line 3-,-3 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a view in top plan of the structure shown in Figs. 2 and 3;

Fig. 5 is a view corresponding generally to Fig. l, but with certain of the parts shown in sections, and with the parts positioned in the safety position;

Fig. 6 is a view'in front elevation of the struc- (Cl. 292--214l ture shown in Figs. 2, 3, and 4, with the parts in the fully closed position;

Fig. 7 is a view in side elevation of a modified latch structure;

Fig. 8 is a view corresponding generally to Fig. '7 in longitudinal section, and showing the parts in the unlocked or safety position;

Fig. 9 is a view in top plan of the structure shown in Figs. 7 and 8; n

Fig, 10 is a view in rear elevation, taken along the line I-I of Fig, 9;

Fig. 11 is a View in side elevation of a further modilication of the invention;

Fig. 12 is a view in top plan of the structure shown in Fig. l1; and g Fig. 13 is a view in transverse vertical section, taken along the line l3-3 of Fig. 11;

Referring rst tothe embodiment of Figs. l through 6, the latch structure comprises generally a keeper assembly 20 which is carried by the hood 22, and a bolt structure 2li which is carried by the associated body portion 25.` The keeper assembly 2i] also carries a pivotally mounted safety catch 28, which cooperates, as hereinafter described, with the bolt assembly to hold the hood in the safety position. The catch 28 is provided with a handle portion 3), which is conveniently accessible when the hood is in the partially closed or safety position, whereby the catch may be released, enabling the hood to be fully opened. ,The bolt assembly is provided with a bolt 32, which as is described in more detail hereinafter, releasably engages the keeper assembly 20 so as to hold the parts in the fully closed position. The bolt 32 is arranged to be released by means of an operating cable 32 (Fig. l3) which, in the illustrated arrangement, extends into the driving compartment of the car and is conveniently operable by means of a button et. The general arrangement is therefore one wherein the hood can be released from the fully closed position only by operating the button 36 from within the driving compartment. Such release, as hereinafter described, renders a spring 23 effective to force the hood to the safety position shown in Fig. 5, inwhich position the handle portion 3l] is accessible, enabling the catch 30 to be released, afterwhich the hood may be raised to its fully elevated position.

Considering the above mentioned elements in more detail, the keeper assembly 20 comprises a pair of superposed plates 4i! and 42, which are secured together in any suitable manner as by welding. The upper plate 40vis provided along its forward edge with an upwardly directed ange 44, which deiines one wall of the guide opening which receives the bolt assembly 24. The lower plate 42 is of generally U shape, having forwardly extending leg portions 45 and 48, between which the safety catch 28 is pivoted. The inner marginal edges of the legs are formed as upwardly directed flanges 50 and 52, respectively, having offset portions 54 and 56, The rear ends of the flange rportions 50 and 52 are passed through openings provided therefor in the flange 44 and terminate in turned over ears 58 and 60, which serve to further reinforce the connection between the two plates 40 and 42. It will be noted that the flange 44, and flanges 50 and 52, and the olf-A set portions 54 and 56, cooperate together to define a generally rectangular guide opening for the bolt assembly 24. It is here noted that the lower portion 62 of the fiange 52 is inwardly angled, so as to provide a bolt engaging surface for the respective teeth of the bolt 32 as described hereinafter.

The keeper assembly is provided with a series of openings designated 64 by which it may be secured within the body of the hood 22, as will be understood.

The safety catch 28 is of generally rearwardly presenting channel shape, having the leg portions 28a and 28h, the lower ends whereof terminate in hooklike portions 10, adapting the safety catch to hook behind the portion 'I2 of the bold assembly, as described below. The hand hold 30 is constituted by an angle member, one leg whereof is suitably secured. as by welding, t the inner face of the web of the safety catch 28. The safety catch 28 is Ipivotally supported upon the keeper assembly, by means of a pin 14, the respectively opposite ends whereof are secured to the flanges 50 and 52 in advance of the offsets 52 and 56 therein. A coil spring 'I6 is wound around the pin '|4 between the legs 28a and 28h, one end thereof being hooked behind the leg 28h, and the other end thereof being hooked beneath the heavier biasing spring 38. The spring 16 is, therefore, effective to continuously urge the safety catch in a counter-clockwise direction, as viewed in Figs. 2 and 5, thus conditioning it to lockingly engage the portion '|2.

The previously mentioned spring 38 is of generally U shape in plan view, as most clearly appears in Figs. 3 and 4, and the respectively opposite ends thereof are Wound around a second pin 80, the ends whereof are secured to the front ends of the flanges 50 and 52. The extreme end portions, such as 38a of the spring 38, are disposed beneath the pin T4. When the parts are in the closed position shown in Fig. 2, the bight of spring 38 bears upon the bolt assembly 24 and is thus effective to urge the keeper assembly 20 upwardly relative to the bolt assembly 24, and is preferably of heavy enough construction so as to lift the hood from the locked position of Fig. 2 to the safety position of Fig. 5 upon release of the bolt.

The bolt assembly is constituted by a pair of similar, transversely spaced, hoodlike stampings 90 and 92, the outer marginal portions whereof are laterally ared as indicated at 94 and 9S, respectively (Fig. 3), whereby the numbers 90 and 92 are secured to a supporting number 98. The housing portions 90 and 92 together dene a generally rectangular guide member which is adapted to be introduced through the previously mentioned guide opening in the keeper assembly. As is described hereinafter, the reaction of the bolt on the keeper assembly tends to urge the keeper assembly downwardly and to the-right,

as viewed in Fig. 6, so that the outer end of the housing member 90 normally abuts the flange when the hood is fully closed. Also, the relation is such that the rear faces of the housing members 90 and 92 abut the flange 44. The housing members thus constitute a tongue which serves to guide the hood into proper locking position during its nal downward movement. In the present instance, the housing thus afforded is slightly forwardly inclined, so as to adapt the structure for use in connection with a hood the hinge structure whereof causes the hood to move slightly forwardly as an incident to a lifting movement, which action is indicated by the dotted lines in Fig. 1.

Within the body of the housing Iprovided by the members 90 and 92, and previously mentioned supporting member 98 also carries a pair of upstanding spaced members I I 0 and II2, between which the bolt 32 and the bolt holding members H4 and I|6 are supported. The bolt 32 is pivotally supported between the members IIII and |I2 upon a pin IIS, the opposite ends whereof are secured to the just-mentioned members, as will be understood. The bolt holding cams I4 and ||6 in turn are secured between the members ||0 and ||2 by means of a pin |20, which is supported thereby.

The bolt 32 is of the rotary type, and is provided with a series of equi-angularly spaced keeper engaging teeth 32a, 32h, 32C and 32d, any one of which, depending upon the rotative position of the bolt, is effective to operate with the keeper surface 62 to hold the hood in the fully closed position. It will be noted that the active tooth. 32h in Fig. 3, projects outwardly through anopening |22 provided therefor in the outer face of the housing member 92.

In order to continuously urge the bolt 32 in a clockwise or hood-closing direction, as viewed in Fig. 3, the cams I|4 and IIS are provided, these cams being ofr slightly differing lengths, so as to impose a progressive holding action on the bolt. Cam |I4 is the shorter of the two, and one end thereof is adapted for connection to the previously mentioned operating cable 34. In order to enable a counter-clockwise or releasing movement of the cam I I4 to effect a corresponding movement of the cam |I6, the shorter cam is provided with a. laterally turned foot |24, which overlaps one marginal edge of the longer cam IIB. In order to continuously urge the cams |I4 and I6 in the bolt holding direction, they are provided vwith springs such as |26, individual thereto, the free ends whereof bear against the backs of the cams, and the other ends whereof are secured between lugs such as |28 struck inwardly from the support plate I |2.

Considering the operation as a whole of the just-described structure, it will be appreciated that the parts are shown in Figs. 2, 3, 4 and 6 in the fully closed position of the hood, in which the bolt tooth 32h bears against the keeper surface 62. With this positioning of the parts also, the springs such as |26 associated with the cams act to urge them in a clockwise direction, and the cams, in turn, urge the bolt in a clockwise or locking direction, and also serve to positively prevent a counter-clockwise or releasing movement of z sition of the rear surfaces of the housing and 92 is such that these members are wedged against soon as the cams are released, the bolt 32T is free to rotater in a counter-clockwise direction, rendering the spring 38` effective to lift the hood 22 from the fully closed position of Fig. 2 to the unlocked safety position shown in Fig. 3. During the course of this movement, the inner mar-l ginal edges of the legs 28aand 28h of the safety catch 28 ride along the edge of the keepers 'lf2 provided therefor, ultimately bringing the hook portion l thereof into holding engagement with such keeper 12. As soon as this condition is reached, the safety catch 20 becomes positively effective to prevent a further opening movement of the hood. At this time, however, the hand hold 30 associated with the safety catch 26 is accessible, and may be operated to turn the safety catch 28 in a clockwise direction, as viewed in Figs. 2 and 5, thereby releasing the catch and enabling the hood to be fully opened. A closing movement involves,` of course, a reverse action, the initial closing movement causing the outer curved portion of the catch 'l0 to ride along the keeper 12, which action cams the safety catch in a clockwise direction, suiiciently to enable the hook 10 to pass behind the keeper portion 12. As soon as this occurs, the safety catch 28 becomes effective to prevent a reopening'movement I of the hood except upon release of the hand hold 30. A continued downward movement of the hood causes the spring 38 to be stressed. Such continued movement brings the under side |53 0f the keeper surface into engagement with the upper surface of a then outwardly/'projecting bolt tooth, rendering the latter effective to forcibly rotate the bolt 32 in a clockwise direction, bring ing thenext successive tooth (32h, Fig. 3) into holding engagement with the keeper surface E2. During the clockwise rotation of the bolt, theback of the innermost tooth (Fig. 3) becomes effective to rotate the holding cams H4 and H6 in a counterclockwise direction. sufhciently far to enable such innermost tooth to successively pass beyond the ends of the cams H4 and |55. When the previously mentioned innermost tooth (32o. Fig. 3) passes beyond the shorter cam H4 the latter is enabledto rotate in a clockwise direction to a position behind the tooth 32e, which action assists the continued clockwise rotation of the bolt and prevents a counterclockwise releasing movement thereof. As the rotation of the bolt continues, the longer cam l5 is enabled to move therebehind, thus completing the closing action. It will be understood that if, for any reason, the hood tends to jar to a more tightly closed position during the operation of the vehicle, the longer cam ||6 is eifective to take up such. continued movement and hold it in the tightly closed position.

In the modified embodiment of the invention shown in Figs. 7, 8, 9, and l0, the arrangement is hood in either they fully' closed or a partially closed or' safety position;

Referring to Figs. '7 through l()l the bolt |30 is of generally bell crank form, one arm thereof beingpivotally connectedto an operating rod |32 having` a handle portion |34 which projects outwardly from the front end of the hood |36 for convenient manual operations, and the other arm |33 isA of hooklike formation', and is adapted to hook behind a keeper portion M0 of the keeper assembly |42 to hold thehoodin the fully closed position', and is also adapted to hook behind a supplemental keeper portion |44 of the keeper assembly, so as to hold thehood in the partially closedor safety position shown in Fig. 8. The

f bolt |30 is pivotally supported within the body of the hood for rotation about a horizontal axis, by means of a pin |46, the respectively opposite ends whereof are supported between plates M8 and E56-which are secured together to constitute the supporting structure for the bolt assembly. Thebolt E30 is continuously urged in a counterclockwise or locking direction', as viewed in Figs; 7 and 8, by means of a biasing spring |52, which is of generally U shape, the central portion of the bight whereof is hooked behind a notch |54 formed in the bolt nose, and the respectively opposite ends whereofare hooked behind the ends of the pin |46, and bear upon the upper surface of the previously mentioned supporting plate l 48.

The central portion of the supporting plate |50 is downwardly formed tc dei-lne the tapered guiding'tongue and housing portion |56, which, when thev hood is in the fully closed position, projects into a correspondingly formed guide opening defined by the marginal portions |58 of the keeper supporting plate |60. The just mentioned guide opening conforms rather closely in size to the size of the tongue |56, as will be understood, so that as the hoodv is moved towards the closed position, the tongue and the guide opening cooperate together to guide the hood toward-s its proper closed position and also cooperate together when the hood is fully closed, to minimize shifting movements of the hood relative to the body portion. The lower arm |3la of the bolt |30 projects into the housing-like tongue |56, the upper portion of the wall of the latter being provided with an opening |62 to accommodate the bolt. The plate |48 is provided with .a corresponding opening |34 for the same purpose. The nose |33 projects through an opening. |66 formed in the rear wall of the tongue 56, adjacent the lower end thereof.

Thekeeper assembly |62 comprises generally the previously mentioned main supporting plate |60, which is secured to the adjacent body portion in any suitable manner, and also comprises a supplemental bracket member E58, the central portion Ilil whereof (Fig. 10) is downwardly depressed. The lower surface of the downwardly depressed portion |10 constitutes the previously mentioned bolt engaging keeper portion |40, and the forward wall of such downwardly depressed portion is provided with an opening, so as to dene the safety catch M4. In order to yieldingly urge the hood toward the partially closed or safety position shown in Fig. 8, which safety position enables the insertion of the operators 1ingers between the lower surface of the hood and the upper surface of the body portion whereby to facilitate the lifting movements of the hood, a generally U-shape spring |12 is provided, the respectively opposite ends |14 whereof are coiled around the ends of a supporting pin |16 and bear against the under surface of the bracket |68. The bight portion of the spring |12 lies in the path of movement of the lower end of the tongue |56, so that when the hood is lowered, the tongue engages such portion andV stresses the spring. The pin |16 is supported in the downwardly depressed portion of the bracket |68, as mo'st clearly appears in Figs. 8 and 10.

Considering the operation of the structure as a whole, it will be appreciated that the hood is shown in the fully closed position in Figs. 7, 9, and 10, in which position the nose |38 of the bolt is hooked behind the keeper portion |40 associated with the vehicle body, and is continuously urged to said holding position by means of the relatively strong biasing springs |52. At such time also, the tongue |56 is received within the guide opening |58, and these elements cooperate together to securely hold the hood against lateral, forward or rearward shifting movements.

Assuming it is desired to open the hood, the handle |34 may be pushed rearwardly as viewed in Figs. 7 and 8, which action rocks the bolt |30 in a clockwise direction, releasing the nose |38 thereof from the keeper assembly I 42, and rendering the previously loaded spring |10 effective to force the forward end of thel hood upwardly to at least the partially closed safety position shown in Fig. 8. If the handle |34 is released as soon as the noseI |38 of thebolt passes the keeper surface |40, the bolt is again rocked in a counterclockwise direction by means of the spring |52, and the nose |38 thereof accordingly hooks behind the safety catch |44 associated with the keeper assembly |42. This latter action prevents movementv of the hood past the safety position. If the handle |34 is retained in the released position until after the nose of the bolt passes the entire keeper assembly, it will be appreciated that the hood |36 may be freely moved upwardly to its fully open position.

In the closing movement of the hood, the nose of the bolt |38 initially engages the marginal edge of the keeper opening |58, and such engagement cams the bolt 30 in a clockwise or releasing direction, suiciently far to enable it to pass along the keeper surfaces, ultimately bringing it past the safety catch surface |44 and the holding surface |40. During such downward movement also, the tongue |56 enters the keeper opening 58, and thus becomes eifective to cooperate therewith to guide the hood to the proper fully closed position. As the nose of the bolt passes the keeper portions |44 and |40, respectively, the springs |52 associated therewith become effective to force it in a locking or counterclookwise direction, so as to prevent inadvertent raising of the hood, except upon operation of the handle |34,

The remaining embodiment of the invention shown in Figs. 11, 12, and 13 is characterized in that the bolt is carried by the hood, and that the vehicle body is provided with a member which serves the purpose of the previously described tongue |56 and also serves the purposes of a bolt engaging keeper.

In Figs. 11, 12, and 13, the bolt |80 is pivotally connected by means of a pin |82 to a plate |84, which is secured in any suitable manner within the body of the hood structure |36. The end |88 of the bolt is adapted for connection to an operating rod |90, the end portion whereof is provided with a handle |92 which projects through an opening in the forward end of the hood. The other end |94 of the bolt is formed to cooperate with a keeper surface |96 formed on a guide member |98, to hold the hood to the fully closed position, and to cooperate with a surface 200 formed in the guide member to hold the hood in the partially closed or safety position. The guide member |98 is of generally tapered form, and projects upwardly from the adjacent body portion, the keeper surfaces |96 and 200 being formed therein by piercing one lateral side wall, as clearly appears in Fig. 13. The guide member |98 is dimensioned to be relatively freely but snugly received within a guide opening dened by the marginal edge 202 which projects 4upwardly slightly from the bolt supporting plate |84. It will be understood that the guide member |98 is suitably secured to a supporting portion such as 204 which may be asociated with the body h portion.

In order to continuously urge it in a counterclockwise or locking direction, as viewed in Fig. 12, the bolt is provided with a biasing spring |8| one end |03 whereof is secured to the body of the bolt, and the other end |05 whereof bears against a pin |87 secured to the supporting plate |84. The pin |81 ridesin a slot |89, formed in the bolt body, and thus also functions to guide the nose 94 of the bolt.

With respect to the operation of the device, it will be appreciated that the parts are shown in the various figures in the fully closed position, in which the nose |94 of the bolt is in engagement with the keeper surface 260 formed on the guide member |08. The guide member 98, at the same time, is received within the guide opening 202 formed in the bolt assembly, and these portions therefore cooperate to hold the hood securely in place. In the event it is desired to open the hood, the handle |92 may be forced inwardly, thus rotating the bolt |80 in a clockwise direction, as viewed in Fig. 12, and withdrawing the nose |94 thereof from operative engagement with the guide member |90. Upon release of the bolt as just described, the hood |06 may of course be moved upwardly to its fully open position. During a closing movement of the hood, the reverse action occurs, the bolt passing successively beyond the upper end of the guide member |23, the safety catch |99, and finally reaching the closed position shown in Fig. 13. During such action also the guide member cooperates with the opening 202 to guide the hood to its proper fully closed position, and to hold it in such position against lateral, forward or rearward shifting movements.

Although specific embodiments of the invention have been described in detail, it will be appreciated that various further modifications in the form, number, and arrangement of parts may be made within the spirit and scope of the invention.

What is claimed is:

1. In a latch for cooperation between a closure member and a cooperating member, the combination of a first part carried by one of the members and having a guide opening therein, a guide part carried by the other member and having a hollow body portion disposed to be projected into said guide opening during a closing movement of said closure member, a bolt rotatably mounted within the said body of said guide part and having a portion adapted to project therefrom into engaging relation to said first part, holding means acting on the bolt and operable to continuously urge the same into engagement with said first part so as to wedge said closure in the closed position, and means for retracting the holding means so as to release the bolt and relieve said Wedging.

tion adapted to project therefrom into engaging relation to said first part, holding means acting on the bolt and operable to continuously urge the same into engagement with said first part so as to wedge said closure in the closed position, and means operable to retract the holding means so as to release the bolt and relieve said Wedging.

ROLLO MARPLE. 

